View in EDS PDF Full Text

Standardizing Correspondence: Reflections on the Indispensability of Testing to the Process of Social Reproduction in Education.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Standardizing Correspondence: Reflections on the Indispensability of Testing to the Process of Social Reproduction in Education.
Authors: Poisson, Tyler1 tpoisson@umass.edu
Source: Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS). Dec2025, Vol. 23 Issue 3, p232-274. 43p.
Subject Terms: *Standardized tests, *Learning, *Academic freedom, Social reproduction, Capitalism, Conformity
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: In Schooling in Capitalist America, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis theorize a correspondence between the social relations of production and those of education. They advance the argument that the education system inures students to the dispositions required of workers under capitalism by virtue of social and organizational parallels that exist between public schools and corporate workplaces. Their 'correspondence theory' of social reproduction has been criticized for being overly deterministic, not least because it downplays the realities of resistance in the classroom. In this paper, I reconcile my teaching experience with correspondence theory. Following a brief history of educational testing and drawing on experiential data, I argue that standardized testing cements the correspondence observed by Bowles and Gintis between schools and corporations in the U.S. by nullifying pedagogical autonomy to the end of ensuring alienation. In other words, it is precisely because teachers possess creative and inexpedient agency that testing is used as a means to forestall resistance and guarantee participation in the process of social reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS) is the property of Institute for Education Policy Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: ehh
DbLabel: Education Research Complete
An: 190924075
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Standardizing Correspondence: Reflections on the Indispensability of Testing to the Process of Social Reproduction in Education.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Poisson%2C+Tyler%22">Poisson, Tyler</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> tpoisson@umass.edu</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+for+Critical+Education+Policy+Studies+%28JCEPS%29%22">Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS)</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 23 Issue 3, p232-274. 43p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subject Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Standardized+tests%22">Standardized tests</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning%22">Learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+freedom%22">Academic freedom</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+reproduction%22">Social reproduction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Capitalism%22">Capitalism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Conformity%22">Conformity</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: In Schooling in Capitalist America, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis theorize a correspondence between the social relations of production and those of education. They advance the argument that the education system inures students to the dispositions required of workers under capitalism by virtue of social and organizational parallels that exist between public schools and corporate workplaces. Their 'correspondence theory' of social reproduction has been criticized for being overly deterministic, not least because it downplays the realities of resistance in the classroom. In this paper, I reconcile my teaching experience with correspondence theory. Following a brief history of educational testing and drawing on experiential data, I argue that standardized testing cements the correspondence observed by Bowles and Gintis between schools and corporations in the U.S. by nullifying pedagogical autonomy to the end of ensuring alienation. In other words, it is precisely because teachers possess creative and inexpedient agency that testing is used as a means to forestall resistance and guarantee participation in the process of social reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS) is the property of Institute for Education Policy Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=190924075
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 43
        StartPage: 232
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Standardized tests
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic freedom
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social reproduction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Capitalism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Conformity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United States
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Standardizing Correspondence: Reflections on the Indispensability of Testing to the Process of Social Reproduction in Education.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Poisson, Tyler
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 12
              Text: Dec2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 20510969
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 23
            – Type: issue
              Value: 3
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies (JCEPS)
              Type: main
ResultId 1